Yeah, it really seems to. I got rejected from a program that is admitting people with the same and lower numbers. I applied in Feb and March to most schools. But, I plan to defer and try again next year. I mean, that way no matter what I am going to law school right?

In regard to the pencil and timer, little things throw off performance all the time. Why is it necessary to ground the space shuttle if there is a minute crack in its foam, why do swimmers and runners shave for races, why do people worry about what they eat before games? I don't think comparing the LSAT to any of the above is out of line in any way given the rigor, competitiveness, and gravity of the test.

And all I did was write a several line rant on a message board, it annoyed me so I bitched a little, I really think the hiring firm and client comment was not quite cricket and to be honest the proofreading thing downright pissed me off, then I remembered...again...that it's just a message board.

If I do decide to retake, I'll practice with an analog watch and a wooden pencil and sort it out, but I don't have to go skipping around in a sundress about the idea. Kirps out.

Wow...if not using a mechanical pencil threw you off so much that you lost points because of it, you are way to high strung and uptight. A pencil is a pencil is a pencil. It has lead, there's an eraser, you write with it.

Law school - hell, being a LAWYER - doesn't always go the way you planned; if you have mini-meltdowns for something like a PENCIL I pity the law firm or client that hires you.

This is harsh. By the time a person is ready to sit for the LSAT, they may have been using mechanical pencils for 10+ years. Lots of people have probably never once encountered a situation where they couldn't use a mechanical pencil. And given the stress generated by LSAT prep and taking the LSAT, having to deal with rules that feel arbitrary are not the simplest thing to do for everyone.

Being a lawyer may not goes as you planned, but show me a law firm that wouldn't allow its associates to use mechanical pencils if they so prefer.

A law firm may allow its attorneys to use mechanical pencils, but that's not the point. The point is this: If this person is so set in their ways and so dependent upon a detail THIS minor, so much so that their performance noticably suffers, what's going to happen when some other detail goes wrong? What's going to happen if the OP takes notes in court on a specific brand of legal pad with a specific type of pen, and while taking notes on a direct examination, he or she discovers that they can't find their pen. Are they going to melt down, and not be able to focus on answers, which would then lead to a deficient cross examination?

The point is that if small details, like the type of pencil you use to fill in bubbles, causes a noticable issue, then then that's a rather significant issue that has the possibility of causes serious problems in other aspects of law school and lawyering. If I was an employer or a client, I wouldn't want this person doing anything more than maybe proof reading my documents.

It's sure as hell not for "luck." At the highest levels of swimming and running, every small thing is necessary to IMPROVE performance. By shaving, swimmers and runners reduce friction from water and air, respectively. It's not becuase they prefer not to have hair.

Again, this isn't "preference." What you eat determines how well your body functions. If you eat a crappy meal before games or races, your body literally won't have the fuel to perform at a high level.

None of the above applies with your PENCIL. All pencils have lead in them, they all fill in bubbles. If your pencil doesn't have an eraser, you can buy one separately. Your preference for a pencil should not detract from your performance.

Alright, even though I disagree with the distinction you've made between the pencil being a preference and the others not, lets take it down to spike pattern on a track shoe, I guarantee you most world class athletes have a preference, and changing from that preference may affect their time.

The entire test taker is a system. That system includes the human and all the necessary parts down to timer, pencil, breakfast etc. All the pieces matter and if you change one without optimizing the rest of the system it will affect performance. Like I said, I'll practice with an analog watch and a wooden pencil, thus re-optimizing the system. But to say that some of the pieces matter and some don't strikes me as pretty naive.